L-O-N-G Birth Story

I was inspired by my friend, Amy’s, post regarding her son’s birth story and I’ve decided that it’s high time I get Hudson’s birth story written too. Amy, I hope it’s ok that I’ve borrowed your idea and am also posting it on my son’s one-month birthday. This is a long story; you may want to grab a cup of your beverage of choice before getting cozy.

After three weeks of dealing with false labor, staying dilated at 4cm, being 50% effaced, and at zero station, my due date passed without so much as a boo from Mr. Hudson. I was SO ready to be done with this pregnancy. Hudson had dropped so low, it seriously felt like he was going to fall out at any moment.

Dr. Susie scheduled an ultrasound to verify that Hudson was measuring on time, part of the hospital’s protocol before scheduling an induction. At the ultrasound on Wednesday morning, Hudson’s was measuring at 41 weeks and the technician estimated his weight at eight and a half pounds. Needless to say, this mother was panicked at the thought of such a large baby and was certain that a c-section was in her near future. I finally called Dr. Susie that afternoon and asked her for a plan; I’m a woman who likes having a plan! We both agreed to a scheduled induction on Saturday, a week after my due date. I was finally relieved, knowing there was an end in sight.

Wednesday night was one of the worst nights of my life; I couldn’t DO anything to get comfortable and beyond that, I was in pain!! My joints were crying for relief; my hips were misaligned; and I couldn’t sleep, even while sitting up. I remember crying out to God, begging for mercy! On Thursday morning, my mom sent out an email to family and friends explaining the situation (8 ½ pound baby boy and mama at her wit’s end) and asked for prayers. God heard their prayers and mine…

Around 1:15 in the afternoon, I put Devyn in bed with me and we settled down for a nap. The first contraction woke me about 2:00; I rolled over and went back to sleep. The next pain came approximately 10 minutes later, with another contraction coming 10 minutes after that. For some reason, I got up and called the doctor’s office, telling them I needed to come in for a labor check. I couldn’t explain it; these pains just felt different and I knew I needed to be checked.

Mom drove me to the office, while my sister, Allison, stayed with Devyn. Upon being checked, I was now 4 ½ cm dilated and 75% effaced, the on-call doctor, Dr. Beth, said it was my choice, I could either go home and wait or head to the hospital to be monitored. While the Dr. Beth called Dr. Susie to get her opinion, I sat in the room with tears rolling down my cheeks. Mom asked if I was crying because of the pain or if I was afraid of being sent home; I answered “both”. The on-call doctor returned, saw my tear-splotched shirt, and gave me a big hug. Upon Dr. Susie’s advice, the hospital had been called and they were expecting me. Dr. Beth said she was almost positive I was in active labor, that they can usually tell just by looking at the patient’s face. I tried putting on a brave smile and got in the car with Mom to check in at the hospital.

The 20-minute drive to the hospital was spent in a flurry of calls. One was to Jon’s foreman to let him know that he needed to get Jon down off the mountain and to the hospital ASAP; I’ve never heard such a panicked male voice in my life. Another call to my sisters to give them a heads-up about the latest developments; to make plans to get Devyn to my aunt’s house; and get my sisters to the hospital. During this drive I proceeded to have another three contractions but again, there was no pattern or regular rhythm to the contractions. In the back of my mind, I was sure that I was going to be sent home again.

We checked in at the hospital around 4:00pm and the nurses went through the usual protocol. They got me hooked up to the monitors, they took my vitals signs, asked what level my pain was at on a scale from 1 to 10, and started jotting their notes. Jon arrived in all his driving-gear glory, never had I been so happy to see him. The contractions were definitely getting worse; I’ve never felt such pain in my life. But of course, I couldn’t get an epidural… the nurses didn’t know if I was staying yet. After being checked again, now at 5 ½ cm dilated and 90% effaced, the nurses left to confer with Dr. Susie. I looked at Jon with tears in my eyes, the pain getting worse with each contraction. He leaned over, kissed my cheek, and asked if he could do anything for me. I slowly nodded no, just grasped his hand as each contraction started. He offered his iPod, the same iPod that plays the worship music that got me through so many tough pregnancy moments, and listening to the words of the worship music definitely helped me get through each contraction.

Finally, around 5:30pm, the nurses and Dr. Susie agreed that I was in active labor and would be staying. I almost started crying at the news; I knew I wouldn’t be leaving without my newborn son in my arms. The next couple of hours seemed to fly by; everything seemed to happen in such a rush. Forms were filled out, my sisters arrived, I was given antibiotics because I had tested positive on the Strep B test, etc. but through it all, I made it very clear that I wanted the epidural as soon as possible. Of course, nothing is as easy or fast as the medical shows on TV, there would be no epidural until my blood work came back from the lab. They gave me some other pain medication that the nurses swore would take the edge off the contractions; I don’t want to call them liars but it really didn’t help… at all.

Dr. Susie arrived around 6:00pm and smiled into my face, “I guess this baby just needed to be threatened with an induction, huh?!” I laughed, unable to believe that this time had finally arrived. The epidural-giving-doctor finally arrived around the same time and I gladly bared my back for the pain relief. Jon, the doctors, and the nurses were joking about the movie ‘Cars’ and our son’s name but I barely paid attention; I just wanted the pain to stop. Just before I was given the epidural, I was checked again and was 8cm dilated and 100% effaced. I was progressing a little too fast for Dr. Susie’s liking, she really wanted the antibiotics in my system for four hours before Hudson made his arrival. Dr. Susie was hoping that the epidural would slow things down a bit. She told me to relax, try to rest, and even get some sleep, if possible.

Mom, my sisters, and even my dad returned to the room and we were able to spend about 20 minutes talking. What a difference with the epidural!! I could still feel the pressure of the contractions but there was NO pain associated with them at all. My dad finally left at 7:00pm, to wait in the waiting room and to watch ‘Survivor’. Jon called his dad, told him he may want to hurry to the hospital and if he didn’t mind, would he please pick up a sub sandwich for Jon? Jon, after all, was starving. Within approximately 20 minutes, my body started shaking and I felt such intense pressure, I knew that I was fully dilated! Dr. Susie checked me again, laughed, and said, “Here we go”. She assembled the nursing staff, remembering it only took me 20 minutes to push Devyn into the world. She got dressed into her scrubs and then broke my bulging bag of water.

I had Jon by my head, while Mom held my left leg and a nurse holding my right. My three sisters were standing behind the doctor and nurses; anxious smiles across their faces. I pushed the first time, listening to the cheers of the doctor and nurses. I smiled at Jon; he rubbed his thumb across my cheek. I pushed the second time, and could feel Hudson’s head crowning. And then we waited… and waited… and waited for another contraction. During that five-minute wait (it felt so much longer than five minutes, let me tell you), I was able to reach down and touch the hair of my baby boy; I was able to lock eyes with my sisters who were in such awe, they had tears in their eyes; and I was able to get encouragement from Jon and my mom. Finally the long-awaited contraction arrived and Hudson came into this world after only three pushes and five hours of labor.

He was absolutely perfect; a strong little boy, with powerful lungs. They placed him on my chest and handed me the scissors to cut the umbilical cord. Jon had cut Devyn’s umbilical cord and I wanted to cut the cord for my son; it was purely for symbolic reasons. My mom and sisters were all crying openly and Jon and I were in shock that our son was finally here. They kept Hudson on me far longer than they ever let Devyn, probably because he was in much better shape than Devyn was. Within half an hour, my mom and sisters had left, giving Jon and I the privacy that we wanted to bond with our son. After the long wait, Hudson Jonathan was finally here!

Now a month later, he already weighs over nine pounds and is growing like a weed! He has a much darker complexion than Devyn and we *think* he looks more like my side of the family but it’s probably still too early to tell. I’m a bit sad because I realized yesterday that Hudson is growing and changing far faster than Devyn ever did. He doesn’t even look like a newborn anymore, but I’m also just trying to enjoy each moment, without living with regrets or fearing the future. And I can honestly say, every pain, every uncomfortable moment, was worth it!!

I’m a coffee drinking, book reading, laundry procrastinating, husband and children loving, mess of a woman who believes that chips and salsa can fix anything. We have chickens running around the backyard, a mountain of dishes in the sink, and on any given morning, I have at least 10 school forms that need my signature or initials. It’s a crazy life {I prefer to call it controlled chaos}, but its ours.

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comments

Borrow away! I steal your great ideas all of the time:) I love this story, Jenn. You articulate your feelings so well and what a great labor and delivery! I can't imagine what it would be like to push and for it to actually work...amazing! Good job, mama! love, Amy

Thank you for sharing this story with us. I agree with Dana, I was very tear-eyed as well. It's an incredible experience, isn't it!?! I love the idea of you cutting your son's umbilical cord - how special!

About

Jenn in Munchkin Land

I’m a coffee drinking, book reading, laundry procrastinating, husband and children loving, mess of a woman who believes that chips and salsa can fix anything. We have chickens running around the backyard, a mountain of dishes in the sink, and on any given morning, I have at least 10 school forms that need my signature or initials. It’s a crazy life {I prefer to call it controlled chaos}, but its ours.